By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
FORTVILLE – Before the season started, Crawfordsville girls basketball coach Darren Haas told people the difference between this year’s team and last was the strength and hard-nosed nature of his bench.
That, along with a fact everybody knows – Lexi Stevens is really good – proved to be the difference Feb. 21 in the Class 3A sixth-ranked Athenians’ 56-50 victory over 3A No. 12 Batesville in the semifinal round of Regional 7 played at Mt. Vernon (Fortville).
The victory advanced Crawfordsville (22-2) to the championship game opposite 3A No. 8 Rushville (17-4), a 48-44 semi winner over Roncalli.
(TO CHECK OUT PICTURES FROM THE CRAWFORDSVILLE-BATESVILLE GAME BY OUR OWN MARK GRICIUS, CLICK HERE!! FOR MARK’S PICS FROM THE RUSHVILLE-RONCALLI GAME, CLICK HERE!! AND CLICK ON THE VIDEO PLAYER TO THE LEFT FOR RICHARD DUFFY’S VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM CRAWFORDSVILLE-BATESVILLE AND RUSHVILLE-RONCALLI!!)
In many ways, the Athenians made this semifinal harder than it needed to be. A first quarter that Haas referred to as “one of the worst defensive quarters we have played all year” left Batesville (21-2) with a 17-12 lead and one of Crawfordsville’s major weapons, Alex Gasaway, with two personal fouls. The slow start got worse when Gasaway picked up her third personal with six minutes to play in the second stanza.
Enter the Athenian bench. When Gasaway headed to the pine, Crawfordsville still trailed by five. But the Athenians went on an 8-1 run in the following minutes to grab a 20-18 advantage. In fact, they held Batesville to just five second-quarter points and clung to a 23-22 halftime edge.
Just when you thought things were getting better for the Montgomery County squad, Gasaway earned her fourth personal less than a minute into the third quarter. For the makeshift lineup to have withstood her absence once was one thing. It was entirely another matter to believe it could do it again.
Well, the Athenians created a lot of believers over the next seven minutes as Crawfordsville immediately increased its margin to eight at 34-26.
There are reasons, however, why Batesville was in this game and had lost only once during the season. Resiliency is one of them. The Bulldogs came roaring back, taking advantage of two Athenian turnovers to go on a 5-0 run that cut the lead to 34-31.
It was time for a stone-cold rally ******, and Crawfordsville just happens to have one of the best. Stevens buried a 3-pointer on the next possession to take the lead back to six points, and it stayed there at the end of three quarters, 41-35.
In the middle periods, it had been Crawfordsville’s ball pressure on defense that had turned the tide in its favor. Early in the fourth period, though, Batesville did a little pressuring of its own.
Crawfordsville led 44-38 when things started going wrong for the Athenians. Batesville began to full-court pressure, and the tactic could not have worked better as the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 48-44.
The scoring spree was obviously worrisome for the Athenians. The way it happened was far more concerning.
Crawfordsville simply hit one of those “dead spots” that have haunted the Athenians over the past two seasons. They committed six consecutive turnovers during the Batesville run and looked hopelessly out of sync.
Haas called a timeout, later saying he simply told his team that from that point to the end it was all about heart. Luckily for Crawfordsville, that is Stevens’ specialty. And the timeout also marked the re-entry of Gasaway to the lineup.
The duo immediately began working their magic. Stevens began getting the ball in her hands against the press, and it suddenly quit working for the Bulldogs. At the offensive end, Gasaway did what she does best: finish scoring chances. She knocked down three huge shots in the closing minutes.
The result was a 12-2 game-ending run that was an example of the Athenians at their very best.
Crawfordsville was led in scoring by senior Mandi Johnson, who shouldered much of the scoring load in Gasaway’s absence, with 18 points. Gasaway also hit double figures with 10, while Madison Lamppert led Batesville with 10 points.
One other factor that must be mentioned is the defensive play of Crawfordsville guard Kylie Justus. Suffice it to say, her picture might be on the wall of the Batesville Post Office next week. She harassed the Bulldogs into numerous turnovers and caused more jump balls than could be counted during the day.
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